The Unveiling
by shonshon97
Summary: Three months after The Reckoning. Summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I never found the fanfiction that I was looking for, so I decided to write it myself. I'm writing this to answer some questions I've had and to fill in a few blanks that the original story left to imagination. This story takes place after "The Reckoning" and the Darkest Rising series doesn't exist. This is my first official fanfiction, so please don't make the kitchen too hot for me. I'll do my best to update regularly, but starting new projects don't always mix with college and a ton of resume building. Darkest powers is one of my all time favorite YA series and I hope to not disappoint. Also, the characters might be a little OOC from time to time. Bare with me.

All rights to the franchise, series, original characters, and original storyline go to Kelly Armstrong, my supreme overlord and mistress.

It's been three months since Chloe and the others escaped from the Edison Group. All seems to be getting back to some form of normalcy, but things aren't always as they appear. New faces and new dangers lurk just beneath the surface. Can Chloe drag her friends out of the grave she's unknowingly built for them, or will all their secrets stay buried forever?

Chapter 1

Cpov

 _It's dark in here. It's always dark in here. There's nothing around but more and more darkness. I feel like I should be afraid but I don't know what I should be afraid of. I know there's a floor underneath my feet. It's cold. metal. I think I'm on a bridge. I don't have any shoes on. Where are my shoes?_

 _I can't see but I know not to lean over the bridge's rail. I can't go back and i don't know why. All I can do is go forward. So I take one step after another. My foot steps echo loudly._

 _I feel like I'm walking forever. How long has it been? 5 minutes? 5 hours? 5 steps? 5 miles?_

 _Finally, I get to a door. I still can't see._

 _It's big and cold. colder than anything I've ever felt. It's so cold that it hurts to touch it._

 _But I have to open it. I need to know what is behind this door._

 _But the door doesn't have a handle. So I push and it gives way._

 _There's a light behind it. It's blinding. I fall and land on something cold, like I'm laying in a pool of ice. I still can't see. I think my bones are actually freezing._

 _As my eyes make feeble attempts to adjust to the immense new light, I see someone coming._

 _Someone is coming toward me. I can't see who it is, but I know it's a man._

 _He's tall. I see a hand reach for me._

 _I know I shouldn't, but I trust him. I trust this unknown figure._

 _I'm so cold. It's so hard to move. I can't feel anything anymore and I don't care. All that matters is holding his hand._

 _He can help me. He wants to help me. I need him._

 _I reach for him, willing my hand to stretch just a little farther. If I can get to him, everything will be better._

 _He can save me. He can save all of us-_

I wake up to the sound of a door closing. Someone's awake. I glance over at my alarm clock. 3:46 a.m.

 _What the hell? Why is anyone awake right now?_

I groggily rise to my feet. The cool wooden floor and blasting AC give my body it's final motivation to rouse itself. My eyes adjust to the dimness of my new surroundings as I remember where I am.

Tori's room. The small television in the corner is still playing muted reruns.

I guess I finally fell asleep after that third I Love Lucy episode.

I pad down the short hallway to the kitchen thinking maybe Derek and Simon were raiding the fridge again for another midnight snack. _Maybe I'll join them this time._

But the kitchen was empty. So was the small connected living room.

 _Funny. I could have sworn I'd heard someone in here. Guess I was still dreaming._

Even as I thought it, a cold shiver still ran through my body. What if they were back? What if they didn't all die in that building? What if-

I can't breathe. I can't think. My world starts to sway. There isn't a nearby seat so I back up until my camisole clad back reaches the cool wall. I slowly slide down it, even as I tell myself to breathe. _Chloe, you're being ridiculous. The Edison Group is gone and St. Cloud have more important things to worry about then a few lost experiments. No one's in the condo. No one's here. Stop being so paranoid. You're safe now._

I don't know how long I sat there. I spaced after my little melt down, feeling like I was trying to swim through cotton candy. There was sun streaming through the windows when I felt Derek's hand on my shoulder.

"You okay"?

At first, I didn't speak. These were the first words he's spoken to me in weeks. I needed to say something that would keep him talking. I missed hearing his voice, though I'd heard him speaking to Simon and Kit several times, missed hearing that familiar low rumble directed towards me. These days, I'd be lucky to hear a morning greeting, let alone an actual glimpse of compassion. It was also the first time he'd touched me in weeks. But of course, I had to open my mouth and ruin it.

"Yeah. I'm fine". My voice was hollow and cracked, like I'd been crying even though I know I hadn't. It was cold and defensive and unwelcoming. He let go of my shoulder and it wasn't until then that I realized how cold I was.

 _How long have I been sitting here?_ I forced myself to not think about it, shutting off my thoughts and shoving them into a file in my brain to read later.

He was still standing over me, looking at me like I either had all the answers or none of them. It was an odd look, a look I wasn't used to, one I didn't mind. I liked it when his eyes were on me, even if they weren't holding the warmth and affection I'd seen such a short time ago.

I still wasn't used to his new look. Kit had forced him to get a haircut and now his eyes were on full display all the time.

I looked away before I could say something that would send the wrong message and focused on getting up off the cold floor.

"What are you doing up? It's early."

His lips quirked up at the corner in a way that simultaneously made me want to punch and bite him. I blushed at the thought against my will while silently cursing my gene pool for giving me my mother's freakishly pale skin. While it made her look like a porcelain doll, I ended up more like an overly-bleached bed sheet.

"I could ask you the same." There was a pause that I didn't mind. It allowed me to get my thoughts together just in time to have them blown away by his next actions.

"Derek"-

"It's cold out here and you're shivering. Here."

He pulled off his hoodie and slipped it on me before I had time to object. As he finished pulling it over my small frame his hands rested on the the hem of the mountain of fabric, brushing my pajama-pant-covered thighs. Still, I gasped as though he'd touched my bare skin.

My mind began to wonder and I quickly stepped away from him and hit the wall with another gasp. My mind was wandering to places it shouldn't and I needed to get away from him and out of this hoodie.

It smelled like him and was still warm from being wrapped around him. I felt like I was drowning in him and I didn't want to stop. I all but sprinted to the bathroom mumbling something about having to pee. He let me go.

I reached the bathroom and hastily closed the door, trying my hardest not to think about how I was still shivering, but not because of the cold.

His essence was all around me as I ripped off the hoodie like it was made of poison.

I could still smell him all around me. He smelled like pine trees and dewy grass and soap and something that could only be described as Derek. It was on my clothes, in my hair, refusing to leave my nose with every sweet, torturous breath. My legs still burned where he'd touched me. I was officially at war with myself.

 _You can't do this Chloe. You can't keep freaking out like that every time Derek gets too close. You can't keep running away. You can't keep acting like he's the plague, everyone is already starting to notice._

I knew my inner voice was right but I couldn't think about what was right. All I could think about was Derek. All I could smell was Derek. All I could see when I shut my eyes were flashes of Derek. Derek smiling. Derek laughing. Derek kissing me, over and over until I couldn't heart felt like it was going to jump out of my neck and i was still shaking. Right now, he was my entire world and I couldn't have that.

I ripped off the hoodie along with the rest of my clothes and stepped in the shower without waiting for the water to heat up.

The ice of the shower did wonders to shock my brain to other topics of interest and the hot water that came after seemed to at least relax my body. As I washed off, I stared at the huge black hoodie on the tiled floor, wondering where Derek had been or where he had been going.

He had been fully dressed in jeans and and boots.

As I stepped out of the shower I grabbed towel, only to realise that in my rush to get away from Derek, I'd forgotten my clothes. _Great._

With a sigh, I secure the towel and open the door. Simon is waiting by the door, towel and clothes in hand. His eyes travel over me quickly and we both blush furiously.

We both mumbled apologies and pass each other on our ways in and out. He shuts the door and starts the water. I hover by the door for a moment, deciding on what to do. My clothes were in Lauren's rooms. With another sigh, I opted to borrow something of Tori's. She's gotten so thin recently that we're practically the same size.

I make my way back to her room with no delays. Derek isn't in the kitchen anymore and part of me is relieved. Another part of me feels otherwise. I ignore my feelings as I walk into Tori's room without knocking, knowing she's still asleep. She sleeps all the time now.

Just as I suspected, she's cocooned in a mountain of sheets and covers, oblivious to the world.

Part of me envied her. I didn't get much sleep these days, but she seemed to be making up for both of us. I grab a light gray t-shirt and a black skirt that i could cinch tighter if I needed to. I also grabbed my doc martens off the floor. The black ones with the flowers all over.

I get dressed and slip into my shoes, then stop to look in the mirror. I've sort of made that a habit.

Short hair dyed brown, big blue eyes, pale skin, slightly flushed cheeks, red lips. These days I had to remind myself that this was who I was. This was my body and I was still inside it, no matter how different it looked in a mini skirt and maroon lipstick.

After everything that went down with Davidoff, we all crashed from motel to motel for months until we stopped at this private condo in a secluded area miles out of New York state. I'm actually not even entirely sure where we are and I won't ask. I don't want to know. Once we got to the condo, we immediately raced for the shower and surprisingly, I beat Tori. The shower was hot and it was nice but I was shocked at what I saw when I stepped out of the shower.

 _The shower was small and the bathroom was smaller, but I didn't care. I loved feeling the water run down my back and smelling the soap on my skin. I felt like I could finally relax after weeks of bird baths in dirty old sinks and wipe downs with sanitary wipes. When I stepped out of the shower I froze. Directly in front of the shower, across from the low-sitting toilet, was a wall length mirror that spanned the entire sink and counter._

 _To say the least, I looked ghastly. My hair was was a mess of tangled, dry-looking, grayish-blonde knots, resting at least three or four inches longer than I remembered it. It was touching the bottom of my shoulder blades now and my roots were terribly matted and obviously another color. I'd lost weight. I'd lost a lot of weight, not that I had much to start with. And I was taller, still shorter than Derek and Tori but still. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked hungry and tired and sad. And I most definitely had been._

I was knocked out of memory lane when something large and soft hit me in the head with enough force to make me take a small step back. I looked down to see Tori's black pillow at my feet. I looked up to see my assailant glaring at me through a mess of long, tangled locks the same color as mine.

"Why are you wearing my clothes"?

I glance down at my watch. "Why are you still in bed at 10 in the morning"?

"Because I have nothing better to do with my time."

Her voice was still groggy from sleep but her eyes sent me her silent scorn in waves. That's how she is now. Sleeping all day and all night, barely eating, and when she is awake, she reminds me of the Tori I met at Lyle House.

Kit says she's dealing with a lot, but aren't we all? I know her mom died, and I know I'm the reason she did. So I'd understand if we were back to our original terms, but it doesn't explain why she's so depressed and angry all the time or why she won't eat.

I look back up at her with a sigh. Her collar bones are protruding so much that she looks like a sick bird. She's propped up on one arm, glaring at me. I don't know what to say, so I turn away from her and refocus myself at the mirror.

I used to look so different before all this. Before the ghosts. Before Lyle House. Even if it had been a false reality, it had been my world. I missed my blonde hair and baggy clothes that I could hide in. I miss my dad. I even miss school. Now I just look like someone else, someone not me.

In the mirror I see a girl with tired eyes. All the running we've been doing seems to have triggered another stage of puberty. I am now a very proud, very average 5'3" with boobs. They aren't big, a solid B at best, but they're there so I'm not complaining. My hair is cut in a short bob with bangs that are slightly too long. And I'm not the only one that looks different.

Along with her sudden weight loss, Tori grew her hair out before she dyed it like mine. It reaches the middle of her back. Simon and Kit were trying to play up the traditional Asian-American look with short, black hair. Simon had to dye his, which he wasn't' too happy about. Derek got new clothes and a hair cut. Lauren dyed her hair the same color at Tori and mines.

When turned back to Tori, she was laying down again but now she was facing the wall. She looked so small now, all wrapped up in her cocoon of covers and blankets. I still can't figure out why she's so cold.

Oddly enough, I'm kinda starting to miss when she wasn't my friend. She may have only opened her mouth to ridicule me then but at least she was present. less distant. I walked over to her nightstand to check the time.

8:15 a.m.

 _How long was I sitting on that floor?_

With a resigned sigh of approval of my clothes and a new determination to not think about how I managed to rack up over three hours of lost time,I stepped out of Tori's domain, more determined than ever to find breakfast before delving into my mental timeline issues.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for the reviews guys! They make me smile, so keep giving them. And, please feel free to check out my other story for Vampire Academy; it's also a work in progress.

Chapter 2

 **With a resigned sigh of approval of my clothes and a new determination to not think about how I managed to rack up over three hours of lost time,I stepped out of Tori's domain, more determined than ever to find breakfast before delving into my mental timeline issues.**

Cpov

For the last ten days , we've been crashing in a small condo on the coast of Maine. Some friend of Lauren's from high school let her use it. Her name is Star and. I think I've met her once at one of Lauren's medical seminars. She think Lauren and I are house sitting for her while she and her second husband are on their honeymoon in some Caribbean island, I don't remember which one. I was grateful for the lucky coincidence, but wished that the space wasn't obviously only meant for a couple. But that didn't matter much. I think we were all just glad to finally be sleeping anywhere but a rouch infested motel or in Kit's van.

It only had a master bedroom and a guest. Tori and I had reluctantly offered to room with lauren in the guest room but Kit declined, saying that he and the boys could tough it out on the couches and chairs placed strategically throughout the house. Somehow, we'd made it work. Simon and Kit seemed to fit perfectly into the two couches in the living room while Derek dragged some blankets and pillows into the basement and rarely left it. Tori took the guest room for herself, refusing to sleep with anyone if she didn't have to. That left Lauren and I to share the master, though I'd made it a habit to "accidentally" fall asleep in Tori's room almost every night, and when I couldn't weasel my way out of sleeping with Lauren, I'd come in after she was asleep and leave the room before she woke. I'm glad Tori doesn't seem to mind.

Ever since we'd gone on the run, there'd been a distance between me and Lauren, like we were living in two different worlds. I'm still angry about her role with the Edison Group and don't want to hear the apologies she tries to give constantly. I can't trust her like I used to and I think everyone could see how much it hurts the both of us. I can barely stand to be in the same room as her these days and whenever I am, I just get really sad. Sometimes it's sudden, other times it just slowly wells up inside to the point where I can't look at her directly.

And I don't want to act like that. I don't want to feel guilty about not accepting her apology. I don't want to see the hurt in her eyes when I don't. But what else can I do? How can I trust her?

She may be the one that helped raise me, but she was also the same woman that changed me, the woman that decided to take the outcome of my life into her hands without my permission. the same woman that drugged me and was entirely too prepared to have Derek put down like a dog for reasons I will never understand. She's been lying to me my entire life and I don't know how to forgive that. I don't know how to forgive her for what she's done.

As I closed Tori's door, I looked around, still not quite used to my surroundings. The condo is mostly colored an off- white, maybe eggshell or baby powder, with splashes of champagne and cream. I guess you could say the color scheme was meant to be relaxing. You could hear ocean waves from a distance if you listened. Kit said that there was a beach about a mile from here. There was natural light everywhere, at least one window in every room and several chrome reflective surfaces like the doorknobs, tables, and chairs. Both bedrooms were connected by a bathroom, each having it's own small, private hallway at their entrances. The hall in from of the guest room contained a bookshelf filled to the brim with history books and old fashion magazines. The floors were mostly dark wood. I stepped into the living room to see everyone sitting on the couches while Kit fried eggs and Lauren hovered by the stove looking useless. She's not much of a cook so I'm not sure why she's even making the effort.

I made the short walk to the couch and stood near Simon, watching him draw obliviously, and smiled.

"Wow. Two pictures in a row. You must be really obsessed with me."

He jumped at the sound of my voice and moved his sketchpad to cover the drawing quickly.

With a serious tone I hadn't known he'd possessed, Simon looked up at me sharply and said,

"You shouldn't sneak up on people. "

My smile gone, I replied "I wasn't sneaking, just noticing"-

"Well don't notice next time." He looked angry.

"Well I...u-um...I-I-I...sorry Si"

Feeling my face turn into a small tomato, I take a few steps back and sit down alone on a window seat, trying hopelessly to hide my embarrassment.

I'm still not used to Simon being angry with me. He won't admit it because he doesn't want to hurt Derek, but I'm pretty sure he's still upset about me not choosing him.

 _Funny, one brother's mad that I don't wanna be with him and the other's mad that I do. And neither will admit it._

And with that wonderful though floating around in my head, I feel my blush begin to spread to the tips of my ears, heating them.

 _When did things get so complicated?_

I stare out the window and stare out at the mix of sand, grass, and gravel that makes up the owners' small backyard. From the looks of it, they were not outdoor people.

Standing on the window sill was a small photo in a vintage, probably iron, frame. I picked it up and stared at. The photo held a smiling man and woman. His arms were around her while she held a very chubby, very angry-looking cat, a Persian I think. They both had dark brown hair and skin with big smiles. They looked really happy.

 _I wish I was that happy._

"You will be."

I jumped, not realising that I'd said my thoughts out loud. To my dismay, Lauren was my responder. She was looking out the window, looking distant like she was remembering something from a long time ago.

Instead of responding, I look up to see that Kit is done cooking breakfast and he and Simon are taking out plates from the cabinet, whispering to each other.

Leaving Lauren without a word, I go into the kitchen to ask Kit if they need any last min ute help.

Not to my surprise, Simon answered for him, giving me the same sharp look he had earlier.

"We don't need any of your help."

He took the remaining plates from Kit's hands, stacked them onto his own, and walked to the small patio on the back to set the table. It wasn't as nice as the rest of the house since it was outside, but it was the only table that could fit all six of us at once and Kit didn't want us to move anything out of place if we didn't have to.

He looked like he wanted to apologise but I beat him to it.

"It's okay Kit. Simon's just trying to deal with this mess just like all of us."

For a moment, he just looked at me and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He spoke a moment later, looking very serious. So much so that it was obvious who Simon got his earlier expression from.

"Thank you for being so kind to my son Chloe. He doesn't deserve it. I really appreciate you saying that about my son but you're wrong. It's not okay for him to act like that or treat you differently because you made a decision that he doesn't agree with. He's not adjusting, he's moping. And over a girl that was never his, of all things. He may be a child and we may also be stuck in a very unusual situation, but I didn't raise either of my sons to be sore losers or to act in such a regrettable manner. I didn't raise my children to be childish. I raised them both to accept situations that they can't change and be happy about the positive things that can come from them. At the very least, I taught them to be happy for one another. Simon isn't doing any of those things and I am not proud of that. It's a reflection on myself that I don't particularly care for and I hope this recent behavior doesn't overshadow the character you've seen in my son previously."

The bigger my blush got, the faster my words came. Eventually I was just talking in one big gush of vowels and consonants, silently thanking Kit for not pointing it out to me. Why was this grown man apologising to me?

"Oh-of course not. I-I know Simon's a nice guy, he's j-just dealing with a lot. We all are. I-I don't hold it against him. Besides, w-we didn't leave things on a very positive note."

"Oh, I see. He didn't tell me that. We haven't been speaking to each other as much as I would like and I just don't want it to seem like I'm supporting his actions. I just don't think that I know enough about What you all have been through yet, to try and step in the middle of things."

"That's t-totally understandable. B-but you don't have to apologise for Simon. I'm fine."

His smile was small and exactly like Simon's. "Thank you for telling me that. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Y-your welcome."

After that, the conversation ended with him walking past me and muttering about not letting the food get cold and that I should ask Tori to come eat with us.

So, I turn around to get Tori to find Derek staring at me, leaning against the corner wall by the window sill, with an expression that I can't quite make out. He's not upset, but he won't be frolinking through sunflower fields any time soon either.

For a moment, our eyes lock and I feel my blush travel, reaching my neck as well. But it's not with embarrassment this time. It's with anger. He looks surprised when I make my way over to him, probably because I all but ran away this morning.

"You don't get to do that."

"Do what?" he says. He looks genuinely confused and I roll my eyes in exasperation.

"You don't get to break things off with us like it didn't matter, without an explanation, then be nice to me. You don't get to decide that I want to wear your clothes then stare at me later thinking whatever you were just thinking. You don't get to be mad or whatever you're feeling. I'm the one who should be pissed at you, not the other way around."

I should have been embarrassed for yelling at him, especially when I know Lauren is probably lurking somewhere like a creeper and trying not to laugh her ass off, but the look of confusion he gave me after I said it just made me madder.

"Chloe.."-

"NO! You don't get to talk right now. You don't get to explain why everything about you is so weird and idiotically mysterious. You don't get to feel better right now."

By this point, even my hands are turning red. I haven't been this mad since my dad tried to make me move to China with him for another business trip or when Lauren paid my housekeeper a ridiculous amount of money to spy on me because she thought I was doing drugs. (I was actually skipping school a couple times a month to go out with my first boyfriend, who was home schooled and had a different schedule, but that's beside the point.)

I knew that I should try to calm down, that it wasn't good for me to be this upset over something so small. But I couldn't help it. Everything about Derek the past few weeks would only set me off or turn me into a blushing, babbling idiot. All I could do was remember the night he'd broken up with me, how angry I'd been and how much control I'd actually given him by allowing myself to get so wrapped up in my own grief that I put everyone else at risk.

"Chloe, listen. You need to calm down"-

"No, you listen! I am so tired of everyone telling me what to listen to and how calm I should be. I shouldn't be calm right now and that's your fault for being such an"-

"You're right! God, you're right, okay? Everything you just said is completely right and I'm not fighting you on it. I'm a jerk and now everyone in Connecticut knows it. So now, could you please just get your head out of your ass long enough to calm down and shut the hell up before you break down the entire floor?"

The only thing that got me to not yell right back at him was how loud his voice carried, like his vocal chords had their own personal bull horn connected to them. He was so loud that I involuntarily flinched and took a step away from him, my body more cautious than I was at the moment. I bit my tongue long enough to look around and find everyone staring at us like all hell was about to break loose.

Kit was standing at the door leading to the patio, leaving Simon sitting alone with a plate of eggs and burnt toast. Lauren was standing in the kitchen with a skillet in her hand, glaring at Derek like he was Satan's favorite prodigy. Even Tori had left her bed and was standing in her doorway wearing nothing but a black camisole and some grey pajama shorts, her hair just as wild as when I'd left her. All of them appeared to be showing varying amounts of both shock and concern, except Tori who just looked like she'd rather be anywhere else and probably wished she'd stayed in bed.

I looked down and gasped. On the floor under me was a slowly spreading uneven circle of darkness. The wood underneath me had decayed to the point that I was worried about falling through it. Biting my lip and cursing my own overactive powers, I slowly stepped away from the decaying wood.

As soon as I did, Lauren ran over to me and tried to hug me like I would disappear if she didn't. I saw her coming and side stepped her, causing her to lose her balance and fall not-to-gracefully to the floor.

"Chloe!"

That was Kit with his 'dad voice' on. I looked down at Lauren, not feeling the slightest bit of guilt for letting her fall on her ass. I could hear Tori chuckling to herself. She stopped when I glared at her, something I don't do often. I hadn't done that to be funny. I wasn't making a fool out of my aunt for anyone's amusement. I'd don't that to make a point to Lauren that she could just run up and touch me because she wanted to, that she'd lost that right when she'd lost me in the process of playing games with my life.

Everyone was still staring at me, now with Derek's one of total surprise added to the mix. So I decide to just address everyone.

"I'm going to the beach. Tori's coming with me."

"Tori's coming where? I don't remember agreeing to do your bidding."

I tried to ignore the huge daggers she was shooting at me as I readjusted my shoe strings. I walked back to Tori's room, dragging her by her arm, much to her displeasure, and slammed her Tori shut.

AN: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! And, don't forget to check out my new story for Vampire Academy! Next chapter's partially in Kit's pov so stay tuned! I'll update soon. I'm going to try and update every two weeks of so. Be patient, I'm still in school.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks for the reviews! Please continue to do so. They mean a lot. Also, I'm a 17 year old girl from Georgia, so please give me some leeway on the POVs of teenage boys from upstate New York.

 **I tried to ignore the huge daggers she was shooting at me as I readjusted my shoe strings. I walked back to Tori's room, dragging her by her arm, much to her displeasure, and slammed her door shut.**

Spov

After she dragged Tori into their room it was quiet. I left the food at the table to see if I could help Dad, but he seemed to have everything under control. He was standing over the dark spot where she'd been standing, mumbling an incantation in a language that I didn't know. I could tell that it was old and difficult. He was starting to sweat, but he looked determined.

I turned my attention to Ms. Fellows to see her dusting off her pants and looking dejected. I felt like I should feel bad for her but I didn't. She chose to play with our lives and now she had lost the life she was trying to perfect. It wasn't right but it's what had happened. And even though only one of us was actually related to the good doctor, I think the only person that might trust her now is my Dad.

 _Why would she expect anything different? If Dad had done what she had, I wouldn't trust him either. And I'd be twice as vocal about it._

I turned back to my Dad to see the whole slowly returning to it's original state. I think I would have been in awe of how skilled my Dad actually was if I wasn't in such a bad mood. These past few weeks have sucked, being forced to sit five feet from her in a car for days at a time, doing everything in my power to focus on anything but her.

But my mind kept drifting to her and it was really pissing me off. Everything reminded me of her, especially since she was always around me, always trying to make me feel better. All it did was annoy me. I hate that she feels like she needs to make me feel better, like I'm a child who didn't get their way and she's a mom who doesn't understand anything.

All I could think about was how beautiful she was surrounded by all the light in this small house or how much I missed talking to her. I miss her and there's nothing I can do about it.

I can't talk to her about it because I don't know how to talk to her as a friend. I don't know how to think of her as a friend because I never did. I don't know how to adjust and I don't want to. I shouldn't have to.

I walked back out to the table to eat my probably cold eggs and definitely burnt toast to find him already sitting down, half the eggs and toast gone.

 _Why is he so special? What does she see in him? a giant slob with an anger issue? a brainiac who can't deal with real life? He's just a neat-freak and a zealot with and an anger problem. What the hell is so appealing about that? Nothing._

As I watched my brother, I didn't notice my hands ball into fists or feel my nails dig into my palms. But he did.

"You're bleeding". His mouth was stuffed with food as he looked up at me. I had to look away as my anger grew with his acknowledgment. Every time I looked at him these days, all I wanted to do was punch him, even though he was my brother, even though, up until a few months ago, he was my best friend. He was so stupid.

I let it go when she chose him. There was nothing I could do about it, so I backed off. But things were different now. Now he'd had her and he'd thrown her away like a piece of garbage, like she wasn't the best thing that had happened to either one of us in years.

"You're an idiot"

"And you're still bleeding. And just so you know, anger and jealousy have their own smells and you reek of both, along with desperation, anxiety, and a few other things you might wanna get checked out at your earliest convenience ."

"Go to hell"

"Already there"

"No. Hell is where you're gonna be after I"-

"SIMON. DEREK. ENOUGH."

AN: I know this chapter was pretty short, but I'm planning to have the next one up soon (in Derek's POV!) Wish me luck, continue to read, and continue to review. Thanks again!

Fletcher


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for the reviews and favorites! They keep me motivated.

" **Go to hell"**

" **Already there"**

" **No. Hell is where you're gonna be after I"-**

" **SIMON. DEREK. ENOUGH."**

Dpov

I felt myself flinch at my dad's sudden outburst. Before all of this Edison Group shit, he almost never yelled, even when we deserved it. I hadn't heard his voice that loud or parenteral since Simon and I were kids.

Even though we were best friends for years, we weren't always close. In fact, we just about hated each other. I was 6 and he was 7. He was still taller than me at the time and thought that made him more important or something stupid like that. He bossed me around because I let him, because I didn't want any trouble.

The first year living with them had been hard. Simon didn't want me around dad and I didn't want to be around at all.

I couldn't help but compare the similarities of that first year and our current conflicts. Once again, we're fighting about how much attention someone else is giving us, and once again Simon is the only one being vocal. I guess some things, you just never grow out of.

I slipped out of my thoughts when I heard Simon slam the patio door and stomp back to our room. I'd heard them arguing, but after the morning I already had with Chloe, I didn't care about Simon being mad at me. He didn't have to understand why I ended things with Chloe and it wasn't really any of his business.

It wasn't my fault that he still liked Chloe. Why would it be, it was none of my business either? Their relationship was between them. And it's not like Chloe actually cares about him like that. I'm still having a hard time believing that Simon even likes her for who she is and not what she represents : the first girl who didn't try to manipulate him or show him off to other girls like a prize. the first girls that didn't blatantly use him to get a higher status with the general student body.

I looked at dad to see him staring back at the direction Simon had gone. I had a fork of cold eggs half way to my mouth when he spoke.

"You don't have to do that to him Derek."

"And what would I be doing? He's the one with the problem, not me. And as far as I'm concerned, his problem is with Chloe and he's just blaming us both. I didn't do anything wrong."

"And Chloe did?"

"If she knew she didn't like him from the beginning, that's her problem. And I already tried to talk to him. He doesn't want to talk to either of us."

"Derek."

"What."

"Stop provoking him."

"I'm not"-

"DEREK. Whether you acknowledge it, I know you don't like that Simon is still so blatant about his attraction to Chloe, even if she doesn't see it. You're not helping anyone by egging him on because you're being territorial."

"I am not being territorial. Simon's being a sore loser."

"Exactly when did Chloe become a prize to you?"

I had already had a retort ready but stopped short when he said that. For a moment, I didn't really know what to say.

I thought of the way things had been these past few weeks, between Simon and I, between Chloe and I. Every time I distanced myself from her, just to find us alone again. Every time I touched her or smiled at her, making sure that Simon was near, glaring at him when Chloe wasn't looking. He'd always glare back but he never called me on it, he'd just leave. When we broke up, it hurt.

It hurt more than I thought I could hurt. It hurt so much I was pissed. So pissed that I kept taunting Simon and confusing Chloe. She usually went along with it, because I know she wants to be with me. And I know it's selfish to drag her on when I'm the one that broke up with her. But I don't want to let her go, even if it's for the best.

"Derek. Love is complicated. It can make or break a lot of relationships and alter a lot of lives. It can make people more happy than they've ever been, and it can make people so sad that the spark inside them just fades away. I don't want you to hurt Chloe because you're scared to be with her. And I don't want you to hurt Simon because you're scared Chloe will want to be with him instead of you. And I don't want Chloe to feel so pushed around by the both of you that she lashes out and hurts everyone that cares about her. I don't like watching my sons act so poorly towards each other."

My dad was one of the only people that I voluntarily listened to, the only opinion that mattered. well, him and Chloe and Simon. His advice was usually sound. I hated disappointing him. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but as usual, I am the source of someone's grief and I probably did something to deserve it. All the confusion and anger I'd felt the past few weeks rushed to the surface and i prayed it didn't show on my face, but I'm not usually a lucky guy.

"I don't know what to do."

"I do. Talk to them, separately. Fix things with Chloe if you still have a chance. She's a smart girl and I seeing you with her. And if you don't, learn how to be a good friend to someone you're not related to. Apologize to Simon, whether you think you did anything wrong or not, because I'm telling you that you did. And I don't think anyone else will be eating breakfast this morning so you can just go at it."

With that said, he got a a few pieces of toast and a napkin and went back inside. I heard him talking to Lauren quietly and decided to go find Chloe. It'll be easier to talk to her. She won't run away. Like the way I ran away from her.

 _I am such an idiot._

I finished the rest of the food, washed the dishes, and left a note for Dad on the fridge.

 _Why the hell am I such an idiot?_

AN: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! Just the let you guys know, I'm probably not going to update on a regular schedule. School just started again and I'm probably going to be a little busier than when I was taking summer classes. But don't worry, I plan on continuing this story and my other story for quite a while.

Thanks

Fletcher


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thanks for the reviews, favorites, messages, and follows guys! I'm sorry for not updating regularly. Finally writing ff myself, I understand that it's better to be a bit patient with authors cuz they're people with lives outside of this site too. Not that I want you guys to stop reading. Okay, on with the show!

 **I finished the rest of the food, washed the dishes, and left a note for Dad on the fridge.**

 _ **Why the hell am I such an idiot?**_

Cpov

It's cold in Maine. Not as cold as I thought it would be. Nate has a grandmother that lives out here; he went to visit her one summer, said it wasn't that bad. Then again, Nate wears sweaters year round, so, maybe he was just trying to impress me.

It's an okay day. The clouds are out and the sky looks a little gray, but it's an okay day. The sun is shining and the breeze drifting from our destination isn't exactly pleasant. To be precise, it smells like fish poop this close to the beach, a beach that's more of a marsh than a beach, but I don't really care. Smell don't really bother me anymore. I guess being around so many dead things will do that to you.

I felt my chest squeeze a little tighter at the thought of Nate. It's February now, a couple weeks before Valentine's Day. We'd both promised each other that we'd actually go to that stupid dance this year, together if we couldn't find dates. It was kind of pathetic but it would have been my first real date, before everything.

I missed him. I missed Nate. And my school. And my teachers. And my dad, surprisingly enough. It's funny how you never really think about how much you have in your life until you don't have it anymore.

"Okay, I know I've been kinda down recently, which I have all right to be cuz, you know, death in the family and all, but you look like you just watched your baby kitten get hit by a train."

"Shut up Tori. I didn't bring you here to talk."

"Oh no, of course not your majesty. You brought me so you could get away from Derek without Lauren tagging along. Because she doesn't like me either, but I'm not Derek, so she'll let it slide since you're still angry with her for wrecking your entire picture-perfect life."

I stopped walking and turned around to face her. She's always like this now. And I can't say I've been in the best mood either, so I try to ignore it. But today was too much. Everything was just too much.

"Perfect life. Please explain to me what about my life is or ever was so freaking perfect, huh? My alcoholic nanny who steals my dad's scotch once a month then tries and fails to act like my surrogate mother? Or, better yet, my psychotic aunt who actually want to become my mother?Or my driver who only talks to me because my dad pays him to? Or maybe you meant my imaginary pets and imaginary friends and imaginary social life? Was that what you were referring to? Oh! I know, you actually meant all the money that my dad throws at me to make up for him being gone for weeks at a time to work, not because he has to, not because we need the money, but because he can't stand to look at me for more than a five days, because I'm the spitting image of his dead wife. You remember, the one I watched bleed to death in a very expensive piece of burning metal. Is that what you meant?

Or were you referring to more current events about how a guy you could never have is still quite probably infatuated with me? Or how the guy I actually want to be with decides he wants to be a fucking martyr because he thinks he 'protecting me'? So you tell me Victoria, what about any point of my life has ever been perfect? What patch of freaking sunflowers and daisies did I forget to roll around in glee all over?"

I knew my cheeks were flushed and my eyes were probably wide. My breath was coming out fast and my heart felt like it was gonna jump out of my thought. My body was hot and tense and I'd probably be sweating if it weren't so windy today.

Tori was still, just looking at me. She was so still she was starting to freak me out. Then she smiled, and laughed. Not a quiet, haha laugh, a real laugh like she'd just heard he greatest joke ever told. I stared at her, not knowing what to say, and she just kept laughing. For a while we just stood there, her laughing, me staring.

Then, she walked past me, resuming our trek to the marsh-beach. She was still laughing when we got to the beach.

This part of the beach was public but it was empty. It was an ugly part of the beach with hard, gray sand and murky gray water, reflecting off a dull gray sky. I'll admit it was kind of a depressing site but I'm not exactly yearning to bask in rays of sunshine anytime soon, so I don't mind.

She's still laughing, so hard she's clutching her sides and gasping for air.

 _Should I call Kit? This is weird, even for Tori._

She trips on a loose rock and falls on the hard sand with a thud. It sounded like it hurt, but she just kept laughing. Eventually, her laughs turned into tears and she cried. She cried for a while, so much so that the sky was a darker shade of gray when she finished.

I guess watching your supposed friend make your mother shoot themselves in the head will do that to a person.

I decide not to call Kit. She wouldn't talk to him, even if he rushed down here. And it's not like she had a reason to. It's not like she knows what I know.

 _And exactly what the hell do I even know? A lie some demon told me. There's no way Diane would actually steal Kit's...genetic parts...just to show up a bunch of random witches. She wasn't that stupid. She wouldn't do that...right?_

So, I didn't call Kit. I held her hand, as much as she would let me, and I just let her cry. She didn't just sound sad, sad was too simple of a word, too general. She didn't sound sad, she sounded broken, like how my dad sounded the morning after my mom's funeral.

That was a tough day for everyone.

 **``````````````````````````````flashback````````````````````````````````````**

 **Daddy was screaming. It was the day after we said goodbye to mommy and we had to let her go to that better place that all the grown ups said she had to go to. I don't know what that place is, but I hope it's real. Cuz Mommy was a good Mommy and if she can't be with me and Daddy, she should be happy in a better place, like Disney World. Maybe Mommy went to Disney World.**

 **Last night, Daddy tucked me in. He turned on my night light but left my door open. I told him the monsters would come in if he left the door open, but he said I had to be brave, like Pirate Jasmine, and tough it out like a big girl. Mommy always closed my door.**

 **It was dark outside and past my bedtime and Daddy tucked the sheets too tight and I was sleepy. Mommy would always tucks me in better than Daddy, but she can't tuck me in all the way at Disney World, so I went to sleep and dreamed about Mommy.**

 _ **We were at Grandma's house and it was Christmas. We made cookies and Grandma let be eat the rest of the cookie dough when Mommy went to the bathroom. She said it would be our secret. That was the Christmas before Grandma went to Disney World too. Maybe Mommy and Grandma are taking pictures with Donald again. Mammy loves Donald. And Goofy.**_

 **When I woke up this morning, Daddy didn't wake me up like Mommy came to wake me up, so I got up late. It's Monday and I usually go to school on Monday cuz Monday is a school day, just like Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. But Daddy said I don't have to got to school today. He said I don't have to go to school all week if I don't want to, but Aunt Lauren said I have to go to school tomorrow.**

 **She was really angry when we said bye to Mommy. She kept yelling and staring at Daddy when she thought I was playing with Pirate Jasmine. Daddy didn't want me to bring it but Aunt Lauren let me. I think Aunt Lauren's mad that Mommy went to Disney World without her.**

 **I'm not mad. Disney World can be scary sometimes. Sometimes it's too big. Cuz I'm not very big.**

 **I don't like not going to school. I don't like staying in the house either. It's too big and I always get lost.**

 **Daddy kept screaming. I thought he fell down and hurt himself. I do that all the time and it really hurts sometimes. I wanted to give him a band aid, but Daddy yelled at me and told me to go away.**

 **Daddy was really loud and I got scared, so I went in my room and hid under my bed like Mommy told me to do if I got scared. Daddy screamed all day and stopped when that big clock in the hallway rigged that it was noon. Daddy didn't talk that day. We both just stayed in our rooms.**

 **Later, Aunt Lauren found me under my bed and she was crying. She made me soup and put me back in my bed. When she thought I was asleep, I heard Aunt Lauren yelling at Daddy again. This time Daddy yelled too.**

 **It was really loud and I got scared and hid under my bed again. Something that sounded like glass broke really loudly and I stayed under my bed.**

 **They stopped yelling after that. Someone ran down stairs and left out the fon door. I think it was Daddy cuz Aunt Lauren's shoes makes a funny sound.**

 **Aunt Lauren found me again and this time her eyes were red. She said she was sorry and that Daddy would be back soon.**

 **Aunt Lauren stayed with me in my room. Then she stayed for a few more days. Daddy came back next week and said he had to work and I had to go back to school.**

 **````````````````````````````flashback end```````````````````````````````````**

AN: Hey guys, I know this is super late but, like I said, college. But the semester's almost out and I'll definitely have more time then. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!

Fletcher


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thanks for all the positive feedback. Don't forget to review!

 **Aunt Lauren stayed with me in my room. Then she stayed for a few more days. Daddy came back next week and said he had to work and I had to go back to school.**

 **````````````````````````````flashback end```````````````````````````````````**

Kpov

I headed straight for the office when I went back into the house, looking for a quiet space to eat my cold toast. The office was made entirely of dark maple wood, the back wall made entirely of glass. It was very different from the rest of the house and I think that's why I liked it so much. The house was nice, but to me it looked like something out of a catalog, a home just for pictures and not lives.

I sighed, thinking out loud because I was alone. "What the hell are we going to do?"

I eat my toast in peace and was about to start thinking of our next move. It's not like we can stay here forever. Lauren's friends will be back next week and we need to be gone long before then. We should be leaving in a day or two, but I don't want to tell anyone until I know exactly where we'll be going.

I know the kids are tired of all the car time and , believe it or not, today was one of their civil days.

Ever since the Edison Group 'went out of business', Lauren all the kids have been upset.

Simon is so busy worrying about his love life to focus on developing his magic. Not that I;m giving any direction at this point. Magic is a skill that has to be desired to achieve, and I can't help that his mind is elsewhere.

Derek, who's been changing more frequently thank God, has resorted to changing alone and I don't know if I approve or not. To my knowledge, Chloe was usually the one to accompany him and keep him calm through all the pain, but because of whatever's going on with them, he's been toughing it out alone. And I can see the toll it's taking on him.

He's never in a good mood, not really, and he's stopped sleeping altogether. I've tried to talk about it but he always changes the subject.

For some reason, Chloe's powers are going crazy, fluctuating depending on her mood and she's been in a constant bad one. That means that her powers have been sporadic, either being overactive or non-existent depending on however angry or sad she is. It also means that I've never seen so many decaying floors, dead bugs or rotting pond fish in my life. Last week I saw a dead squirrel crawl out of the ground in that terrible excuse of a back yard and bang it's body into the patio door trying to get to her. She was sleeping at the time. Needless to say, it was terrifying.

And Victoria...I don't know. Lauren says she's clinically depressed which would make sense. After all, she did watch Chloe basically murder Diane wright in front of her. I'm actually surprised Victoria can even be in the same room with Chloe, let alone sleep next to her almost every night.

All I do know is that I want to help them, but I don't know how. I may be a sorcerer but I wasn't skilled enough to teach Simon all the spells he needed to know. And even though it would be easier to teach Victoria, I don't want to push her when she seems to be the only one with normally functioning powers. Well, normal for Victoria.

And then there's Lauren. Lauren Rose Fellows. A close friend of mine for almost 20 years now. We'd met, dated actually, before the Edison Group. We'd been good friend, bonding over how we'd both been adopted into supernatural families. Growing up, Lauren had had it worse off, while I'd simply moved from foster home to foster home, my power not awakening until I was old enough to legally live on my own in the state of Georgia. I got accepted early to Mercer University and never looked back.

But Lauren had been in 15 different homes before being adopted by the Fellows at age 16, being taken from her birth parents at age 5. She was always either being taken out of homes or running away for one reason or another, reasons I never asked about and she never told me.

We'd met at the same grad school, New York University, she was a year ahead of me and I was new to New York. We were the only official members of the school's robotics club and spent almost every day together for years.

When we graduated, I started from the bottom as an intern for a major private law firm and she had a pediatrics position waiting for her at New York Presbyterian.

A year later, we were dating, but that soon ended when we were both asked to participate in a group study for EG.

Hours were long, work was stressful, and eventually, we broke up. I found out a few weeks later that she'd spent half of our relationship cheating on me with one of the other doctors, who just happened to be the only werewolf in the program, unsurprisingly.

I dove into work and we didn't talk for months. Not even a year after our breakup, I got an invite to her wedding. She said that she was sorry about how things had ended and that she wanted her best friend back, that she missed me.

And I had missed her terribly, for other reasons. I'd been in love with her and had been crushed to find the invite sitting in my apartment P.O. box.

I didn't go to her wedding. On the same night, I quit my job, bought an airplane ticket, and flew to Germany. I'd been a history major at Mercer and had always wanted to see the remnants of the Berlin Wall in person. I'd also always wanted to try an authentic German pretzels and strudels.

I ended up living in Germany for a few months, finding work as an architect's assistant.

That's where I'd met Simon's mother, Christa, the architect I'd been assisting.

Really, I was ridiculous, tripping over myself to make her day easier. She'd had been in the middle of a divorce at the time and three years older than me, but she was a vision.

She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever met and I fell hard instantly. She had long golden blonde hair that fell down to her hips and huge green eyes and the cutest sneeze in the world.

Months went by and by Christmas, she was officially single and I'd finally gathered up enough courage to ask her out.

I'd been practicing my German all year and had gotten pretty good at it, but when I'd gone to talk to her, I'd mixed my words and embarrassed myself, asking her if she wanted to go fishing with me instead of on a date. She'd laughed and agreed and that was the start of our relationship.

We got married in Munich, her birthplace, in a small gathering at her parent's Church, seeing as we had both been raised Catholic.

Now finally understanding why Lauren had wanted me at her wedding, I'd sent her an invitation, a plane ticket and a letter saying how much I'd missed her and how I would pay for everything, that I just wanted my friend back. Lauren didn't return my letter or show up to the wedding.

Christa and I lived in Denmark for two years. It's where we bought our first home and it's where Simon was born.

Soon after, when Simon was about almost two years old, Christa got really sick.

Her family had had a history of lung cancer and she'd tried everything to fight it. She didn't smoke or eat processed foods. She was vegan and prepared all of her food herself. She was a professional runner and ran at least 10 miles a day. For a time, I'd tried to run with her but stopped soon after, not up for the challenge.

But she did get sick. And like all the dozens of doctors we'd seen in Germany, she didn't get better. After months of research, I'd come in contact with a medical doctor in New York who specialized in hereditary lung cancer. With his help, we were able to help my wife live for another three years.

Christa died in her sleep on our fourth anniversary.

for months, I was crushed. I couldn't work or sleep or eat. Eventually, I had to call someone to care for Simon.

That's how Lauren and I had gotten back in touch. She'd answered the ad I'd put out, quit her job, and became Simon's live-in nanny.

She cared for the both of us, looking after Simon and making sure I didn't do anything stupid for a little over a year.

It was amazing, like having a part of myself back, even though there was a hole there that could never be completely full again.

When we met up again, her hair was blonde, not brown, and she was separated from her husband. Apparently they'd had some fertility issues and were on the brink of giving up. I knew there was more to the story but never asked.

A month later, something terrible had happened that she never told me about that ended her up in the hospital that she used to work in.

She was in a coma for three weeks, in which I had to force myself to care for Simon, the spitting image of his mother, and it was hell. But I did do it, and by the time Lauren had become conscious, I didn't need her to take care of me anymore.

So that's what I told her. I thanked her for all her help, told her that Simon might not even be in my custody if it weren't for her, and technically fired her from her job as Simon's nanny.

She said that she'd understood and that she needed to fix her marriage anyway.

Later that year, she divorced him.

About a year later, when Simon was about six or seven, I got a call from the Edison Group, saying they would give me a job on the spot if I needed one, that they would pay more for me to participate in a new experiment that they were studying, a case about making lives for future supernaturals better.

After being out of work for almost two years, exhausting all my savings, I agreed to take the job. That was the worst decision of my life.

After taking the job, I met back up with Lauren, who joked that God was trying to tell them something and that she'd divorced her husband.

But I was still grieving the loss of Christa and would be for several years. We continued with out friendship and I continued to grieve. It was so bad that I'd almost asked Lauren to try and have me committed to a psychiatric facility, believing that it wasn't normal of healthy to feel this bad about someone's death, even that of my own wife. I needed to be better, for her and for myself, but most importantly of Simon.

That's when I met Derek, the smallest werewolf or the bunch, only seven years old, technically a ward of the state.

Derek, that small, shy, boy, put a light back in my life that hadn't been there in years. He made me smile and I made him smile. I adopted him after a week of meeting him.

Lauren was hesitant for the both of us, constantly reminding me of the risks of raising a wolf. I told her not to worry. That we would be fine. And for a few years, we were. Simon wasn't the best sport about sharing his dad but that was a normal reaction.

Eventually, they became best friends and I was so proud.

I continued to work for the Edison Group for one reason: the pay was ridiculous. It was like whoever ran the program wanted desperately for everything to continue. Now, I wasn't personally involved in the project, seeing as I just mainly handled law and environmental issues, but if they were willing to pay, I wasn't going anywhere. And neither did Lauren.

For years, everything seemed fine, then one day I found out the real reason for the program, to genetically modify supernatural children to 'make their lives better' before they were even born.

I was against the idea and immediately quit, despite Lauren's pleas, I left the program, taking Derek and Simon with me.

Two months later, when Derek and Simon were at school,a group of men in black suits said that they would kill my family if I didn't come with them. So I did.

The next six months are a haze of pain and empty underground cells. I wasn't the only one there but I was too drugged to recall anything other that how dark and cold my cell was.

One day, some blonde woman broke everyone out of their cells and said we were all free. Eventually, I found my way out of the prison and never looked back.

I took me months to find my sons and by the time I had, they were practically men. Simon looked so much like his mother that it took my breath away. He had her hair and her smile and her laugh. He had her eye for lines and color and he sneezed just like Christa's father.

Derek was taller than me, even though I was pretty tall for Chinese man, me being 5'7, the average being around 5'3. Derek was well over 6 feet and I had to literally look up to meet his eyes. I felt like I'd missed a lifetime.

Now, I was trying to keep my boys and the others safe whilst trying to resume the role of their father. Not an easy task.

Everyone had been through so much and I didn't want to push anyone in the wrong direction. You could say I was a bit stuck at the moment.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a knock at the door.

I opened the door to find Simon with the scowl he'd been sporting the past few weeks.

"Chloe and Tori are gone. Derek's gone. I'll be outside."

"And exactly where did they go?"

"Derek went after Chloe, I don't know where they went and I don't care."

"Simon."

"I don't care. I just figured someone should tell you since Lauren just locked herself off in her room and didn't say when she'd be coming out. Also, she started the dished but didn't finish them and I'm not doing it so don't ask."

"Simon."

"Dad."

For a moment, he just stared at me, waiting to speak. I had so many things I wanted to say to him. About Chloe and Derek and my part in the Edison Group. How I was just as much to blame as Lauren. How he should remember how Derek was his best friend and his brother and about how stupid he was being. But I didn't.

I wanted to yell at him.

For some reason, all I could do was stare. A moment later, he looked away and headed outside to the patio.

With a sigh, I closed the office door and tried to find a way to fix everyone's lives.

AN: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: This chapter's going to be kinda short so just bare with me. Happy Thanksgiving, even though I'm uploading this the day after Thanksgiving...Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!

 **With a sigh, I closed the office door and tried to find a way to fix everyone's lives.**

Dpov

It didn't take me long to find them at the beach, even with that disgusting smell.

I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to apologize and undo everything. I wanted to be with her. I missed her and I wanted to tell her that. But when I got there, Tori was crying.

It was gray and cold and Tori was crying her eyes out and I couldn't do it. I couldn't talk to her, not now.

So I just stood there on a sand dune half a mile away, staring at the water and listening to Tori cry for an hour. Ten minutes later, they left and I stayed.

Once I blocked out the smell, this place was actually kind of peaceful. Until the burner phone in my pocket started buzzing and I jumped. Seeing as I never really needed or wanted a cellphone, I was still getting used to keeping a cold, vibrating piece of metal close to me at all times. When we were little, Simon always kept the phone we shared and always used it. I never needed it so I never used it.

 **Where are you guys? It's been over an hour and you know the rules. Why is no one picking up their phone? -Dad**

With one last look at the dark water, I replied and started back to the house.

 **We were all at the beach. Chloe and Tori already left. I'm leaving now. I didn't talk to her so don't bring it up. -Derek**

10 minutes later and I was heading through the front door. Everyone was gathered in the living room. Lauren was the only one sitting on the couch. Tori and Chloe were standing together on opposite sides of the window while Simon sat on the kitchen island drawing. Dad sat in a chair from the office he must have dragged out, looking around the room and stopping on me when I walked through the door.

I took my chances standing next to Tori, seeing as she seemed the least intimidating at the moment, oddly enough. Over the last few weeks, she had been the most decent and I didn't want to mess with that. And there was no way I was standing near Simon or Chloe or sitting next to either of the adult here.

It stung a little to see Chloe physically trying to look in any direction but mine but I ignored it, focusing on my Dad.

"Good, Everyone's here. Now we can start."

"Start what?" All three of us said it at the same time, like it was planned. I would have laughed if it weren't so uncomfortable. Chloe blushed and I looked at my Dad. Tori actually did laugh though.

"Now that everyone's here, we can start evaluating my plan."

Simon scoffed. "Took you long enough."

"Simon, that's enough."

"Shut up Lauren."

This time, it was Chloe and Simon who spoke in unison. Simon glared at her and once again, she blushed. I had to remind myself to not smile, to not let it show on my face how cute she was being.

Lauren's shoulders tensed and she stood up from the couch, walking toward her room. Dad stood up too.

"Lauren, come on."

"Tell me about it later Kit. It's late and I'm going to bed."

Actually, it was only about 7 o'clock, but it was winter and it did look a little dark outside.

On that note, she closed her door and turned off her light. I heard her sigh and get into her be.

"She's not coming out any time soon. You should just finish", I said to my dad when her got up and walked to her door.

He looked at me for a moment, then nodded and sat back down in his office chair.

"What would you guys think about moving to Georgia? Permanently?"

AN: Dun, dun, dun. Stayed tuned for next week's (next week-ish. finals start next week.) episode folks. Thanks for reading; don't forget to review!

p.s.-I live in Georgia, but not in the area I'm going to be writing about, so...if you don't like it, tough beans.

Fletcher


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! Also, this chap is a bit of a filler, another back story. It's Lauren's back story for the most part, but it's not entirely accurate. I changed a few things.

" **What would you guys think about moving to Georgia? Permanently?"**

Lpov

I couldn't sleep. Whenever I did, I dreamed of Chloe, of all the mistakes I made with her every day of her life.

I knew our relationship was over, that I'd broken it in a way that couldn't just be fixed because I said I was sorry. I knew she didn't trust me anymore and I can't really blame her for that. I lied to her. I hurt her in ways I never thought I could. I lied to her and to myself, convincing myself that I was helping her but really, I had my own agenda.

All my life until she died, I was compared to her and the rest of our family. Poor Lauren, the orphan human the Fellows graciously let into their home. Poor Jennifer who had to look out for her new, helplessly human little sister. ( **side note: Chloe's mom's name is Jennifer, even though they don't say it in the books. And her dad's name is Steve. I checked.** )

When I was six, my parents abandoned me at a fire station in lower Manhattan and never looked back. I don't remember them and I don't care. After all, you can't love someone you don't remember.

A janitor found me and brought me to station's Head Captain, who brought me to the Chief of Police, who took me to a hospital and had me with social services that night.

I spent the next eight years in the system, a different foster home for one reason or another. Sometimes, I asked to leave, sometimes the dad's got a little grabby. One time, this crazy lady locked me in a room and left me in there with a loaf of bread for three days. After that, I started getting kicked out of every home I was sent to because they said I was 'violent and disrespectful', which, admittedly, I was.

When I was fifteen, I ran away, tired of having people I didn't know decide my life for me. I spent a year living in abandoned buildings and under bridges. One day, I got arrested for stealing food from a run down gas station. I didn't think anyone would miss candy bars and cold burritos weeks past their expiration dates. But the clerk saw me and called the cops. The next thing I knew, I was back in the system after a few months in a detention center, then a month in an all girls group home. I tried to run a few more times but I always got caught.

A week before my sixteenth birthday, my 'den mother' told me that a family was interested in adopting me. She said that they already had a daughter, and that she was about to start her senior year of high school in the fall. They'd been trying to have another child for years but a few months ago, the mother hit menopause.

So, they decided to adopt a kid and they wanted me. She told me that the dad was a cop and the mom was a minister in Essex. A few days later, they drove out to see me.

The mom was the most beautiful woman I'd ever met in my life, pale as a sheet and all blonde hair and dark blue eyes, with a single brown freckle in the middle of her nose. The dad was sweaty and nervous looking and had black hair. Their names were Lilyan and Jason Fellows.

And for some reason, they thought I was perfect.

They seemed nice and they were beyond rich. They were wealthy. They both came from old money, the mom a very long line of surgeons and the dad an even longer line of lawyers, police officers, and politicians.

I took a day to think about it. I was in a better place than when I'd first ran away, but I couldn't understand why they'd picked me out of all the children in the world. I was a high school dropout, a run away, and technically, a criminal. My record was erased but that didn't mean it didn't happen.

With some prodding and a dying wish or two from my room mate, a sick girl, younger than me, who was probably going to die soon of some bone disease I was too scared at the time to ever ask about, I left with the couple the next day.

A week later, after she got back from a swimming competition in Florida, I met Jennifer. She was tall, blonde like her mom with brown eyes. She didn't look surprised to see me but she didn't look happy either. She didn't speak to me for a month until her father yelled at her about it. I didn't ask him too but she decided upon herself that that didn't matter.

Jennifer had a twin brother, Ben, but I didn't get to know him well. He spent a lot of time in and out of psychiatric hospitals and never wanted to see me. He looked a lot like Jason and always looked scared.

The first words I heard from my sister were that she hated me. We didn't speak again until Christmas.

Eventually, I had to go back to school, despite my protests. And to make sure I did, Jason quit his job as a full time police officer, getting a part time, weekend job instead. He spend his days working as a substitute teacher in half the classes I went to and as one of my tutors. I'd missed almost two years of school and he wasn't going to let me run away again.

Every Saturday, he took me to school to study and every Sunday, we'd all be the first people to church, spending all day their, Lily sometimes spending all night. I wasn't very religious and Lily said she understood, that she thought religion shouldn't be forced at an early age. She later told me that she only brought us to church because otherwise, she wouldn't see us as much, and she was worried I'd get into trouble at the house by myself. It was a little offensive, but I didn't blame her. She was nice about it.

The years went by and Jennifer was graduating college when I finished my senior year. I had to repeat freshman year and part of sophomore year because of all the time I missed. When I graduated, I spent the summer with her in Florida, interning as a vet's assitant. The Fellows owned horses and I loved them.

We spent that summer, fighting mostly, but eventually, after her brother killed himself, we became friends. It was slow, but she needed someone and I was there. I got accepted to Florida State University and spent the year with her. It was nice.

Then Jason and Lily both got sick and I moved back to new york to take care of them. That's when I learned about supernaturals.

Lily told me everything the night she died. Lily's grandmother was a necromancer and, even thouh it had seemingly skipped a generation, it had been passed on to both Jennifer and Ben. Lily though it was the ghost that had made him insane. Jennifer had been strong enough to block them, but Ben hadn't. Then harassed him his entire life, sometimes hurting him. It's easy to imagine that driving a person to jump off a building.

When mom and dad died, I stayed in New York, moving to Buffalo. I decided to finish college and go to med school, thinking that I could study the brain, trying to make connections to the supernatural along the way in secret. Eventually I found Kit and that's an entirely different story in its own right.

A few years later, Jennifer moved back to New York too, with a baby and a husband in tow. Chloe was great but Steve was terrible. He was a workaholic, never spending any time with Jennifer or their daughter. I met Chloe at my graduation from St. Johns. She was beautiful.

i would babysit on the weekends and it was great. Chloe was the reason I'd put myself back into the dating world after a messy divorce.

Eventually I started working for the edison group, believing everything they said about how I was going to change the face of medicine forever and how they were going to help me do it.

That's where I met the last man I'd ever been with. It was great. We loved each other and it was the closest thing to love at first sight that I'd ever been a witness to. We were drawn to each other. I moved into his house; it was huge and went on for miles in the middle of the woods. We got married a year after we met and the wedding was beautiful. We were happy, and expecting. Until the worst day of my life happened. Then I spent the rest of my life devoted to my work and my niece, like nothing had ever happened. Two years later Jennifer died and Steve decided to practically live at work and it was just me a chloe for a long time. I got used to taking care of her and she got used to being taken care of. I was happy again.

The years went by and I kept telling myself the same lies, continuing with my studies. When Chloe's powers started to get stronger, I ignored them. When she was sent to Lyle I stayed in the same delusional bubble that I'd made for myself so may years ago.

One thing led to another and now I'm here. Hijacking the home of a friend I haven't spoken to in years, living with Chloe, Kit, his kid, Janine's brat, and a mut.

I could hear them outside my door, yelling at each other.

 _She'll have to forgive me at some point. We're all we've got. Even if she doesn't think so._

Eventually, I fell asleep and dreamed of Chloe, waking up all throughout the night.

I haven't had a good night's sleep in years.

 **AN: Thanks for reading guys! And don't forget to review! Next chapter will get back to the story line and will probably be in Tori's pov.**

 **Fletcher**


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! And I hope you guys had a great holiday.

 **Eventually, I fell asleep and dreamed of Chloe, waking up all throughout the night.**

 **I haven't had a good night's sleep in years.**

Tpov

For a while, nobody said anything.

Everyone was silent. Simon's head was down, looking at his drawing but I don't think he was paying it any attention. Derek had his thinking face on and Chloe…

I'm not sure what she's thinking. She was staring at Kit like she didn't understand him. Meanwhile, he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, probably wishing he'd went to talk to Lauren afterall.

After a few more minutes, i couldn't take it anymore.

I burst out laughing. I don't know what was wrong with me today. First the beach, now this. I am not a laugher. It's one of the reasons why my airhead sister always thought I was so weird. Because I never laugh.

I couldn't help it. It's truly hilarious. We haven't spent more than three weeks in the same place for months, now Kit wants to ship all of us across the country to freaking Georgia.

Georgia, of all places. Nothing but trees and concrete and crappy weather.

It's truly hilarious.

But I don't think anyone else saw it that way. Everyone was looking at me like I'd lost my mind, and maybe I had, but at least I was laughing.

Even when I spoke, I was still laughing.

"Kit, are you serious...Georgia?...of all places... Why?... and with what money? Richie McRich only has so much on her and the rest of us are broke? It's not like she can... actually go ask her dad... the billionaire... to loan us a couple thousand dollars for plane tickets...and I refuse to sit in another car with any of you guys..No offense, but you're all kinda being crappy people right now. And if we drove, with what car? We sold our crappy one last month remember? And again...with what money?"

It was so funny. So funny, it was stupid.

"Tori-"

"No. What is wrong with you? To just, casually bring up leaving our homes and moving across the country, like that's even an option, because you can't think of anything better? It's ridiculous!"

"Tori-"

"You have taken everything from us, ruined everything for us. Our lives, our psychies, hell our births. We all still have nightmares. I still have nightmares. You screwed our entire lives for a stupid experiment. You, Lauren, and everyone else. Because you thought it would get your names published in whatever article or you just wanted to say you achieved something absolutely impossible. And don't say it's not true because I know. I read all of Davidoff's notes remember? You have been in control of our entire lives, killed so many of us off, and now you want to take our home too? "

"Victoria-"

"New York is all we have left. All any of us have left. And everyone wants to just casually forget that you were apart of the Edison Group too. Just because Shaggy and Scooby's daddy got his ass kidnapped for a few months? It's such crap."

Simon looked up, but he didn't say anything. He looked just as lost for words as the rest of them.

I guess I was getting too loud because Chloe felt the need to step in. She stepped in front of me, stopping me from glaring at the stupid man who was supposed to be helping us.

"Tori, calm down. It was just a question. No one's made any decisions."

"And that's the point Chloe. No one has made any decisions and they definitely shouldn't be made by this idiot."

"THAT'S ENOUGH VICTORIA."

I'd never heard Kit yell like that. He was loud, louder than I thought he could be. Everyone else flinched, even Derek, who was now sulking in a corner staring off into the distance like an idiot. I would have flinched too, but I was too angry. At Kit. At our lives. At everything that had happened to all of us.

So, I walked up to Kit, looked him in the eye, and spoke. I didn't yell. I didn't scream. I swallowed my anger, and I spoke.

"Do you know what it feels like to be drugged?"

"Vic-"

"To wake up half naked, tied down to a freezing cold metal gurney completely alone? We do. Ever been locked in a room with no doorknob and a camera watching your every move? We have. Have you ever been treated like you were criminally insane, like you were mentally disturbed, and sent to a fake mental home for disturbed teenagers? Because of circumstances that were in complete control of other people, people invisible to us, people we didn't see coming?I have. Derek has. Chloe definitely has. All those dead kids have. All those used, thrown-away-like-trash kids have."

"Victoria-"

"No. You do not get to talk right now. You. Do. Not. get to talk right now."

"How dare you? How dare you ask that question? How dare you have the balls to take everything, not just most of it, but everything? I have nothing, no one. And I'm supposed to just leave with you? Chloe has a life here, and family for God's sake. She has a father here, who is probably tearing his hair out because he left his little girl in a mental home and now she's gone. So, I'm asking. Seriously, how freaking dare you?"

The room was still so silent, and everyone was staring at me. No one said anything. Everyone was staring at me and I was staring at Kit.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet, restrained.

"I was apart of the Edison Group. Lauren was apart of the Edison Group. You were lied to. You were treated callsuly and cruely. I know that. I know that New York is your home, is everyone's home. I know I'm asking a lot from you, more than you should have to be asked. But I am asking.-"

"That's not what I-"

"Victoria, we are running out of options. Edison Group is gone. So many children are dead. The situation is terrible. But we can't stay in New York anymore.-"

"Why?"

He looked at me. I know I wasn't making this easy for him and I didn't want to. I deserved answers, we all did. And I was not going to wait until we were across the country to ask them.

Simon had put his sketch pad down, Derek was alert, and Chloe had somehow made it to the floor, sitting there staring at us. She looked dazed, sick, like she was going to barf all over herself.

"Before the Davidoff...died, he alerted . It's an organization named after a man who dedicated his life to torturing and murdering supernaturals. The group has been around for centuries. It used to be a small faction of humans but it's grown. Now anyone, human or supernatural, can be recruited into the group. In the last few decades, they've gotten bigger, gained more economic power. In one shape or form, they basically have control over half the U.S., over a third of the world. They are big and they are resourceful."

"You said we didn't have to worry about them."

"I said that we were not their first priority. And I still think that. But I said that months ago; things may have changed. There's no real way to tell."

"So what are you saying?"

Everyone looked at Derek.

 _Look who decided to speak._

Kit paused before he answered.

"We can't just sit around New York forever. There are too many people, too many cameras and phones. And Chloe still has a bounty on her head. We may not be their first priority, but that doesn't mean they don't care that we survived that explosion. They could send someone after us, probably a mercenary."

"Oh, God." That was Chloe.

"I know that's a scary thought but honestly, if I'm being realistic, I know that it would a lot easier for them to just kill us instead of monitoring us and hoping we don't cause any problems."

"What problems? What could we possibly do that would be worse than just killing us for no reason?" That was Simon.

"If one of us went to the police or the news, if we publicly displayed our powers or, God wrote a book. Any of those things could be detrimental. They could think we'd be easier to control if we were dead."

Derek spoke again. Then it was quiet for like half an hour.

"So what you're saying is, we don't have a choice. Either we stay or we die"

"I'm not saying that. We could very likely stay in New York for the rest of our lives and be perfectly fine. We're in just as much risk here as anywhere else. But I do think we still need to get out of New York. Permanently. It's safer if we leave, if we start over. This was always the plan, if Davidoff though St. Cloud would try to shut down the program. There were protocols for this, plans, money, outside help. Help that had no connection to the experiments."

"If we leave, it'll look like we're running."

"Exactly Derek, we'd be running, not staying in New York like we've got something to prove."

"But we don't have anything to prove to anyone."

"Which is why we should leave, as a show if peace, to let them know that we're not going to inform the entire state of New York, one of the most watched places in the world, that we're different from the rest of them."

"But we're not different." That was Chloe. Her voice was faint and scratchy and fading, like she suddenly got a cold.

"We went through something terrible. Something was done to us, taken away and changed from us. Our genetic makeup was altered to do God know what without our consent. We were robbed of the lives we should have had and people need to know that. They can't just get away with wrecking us."

"But they can Chloe. I'm so sorry, but they can and they will and I don't see a way around it."

"Well, I'm not leaving. My dad is here, my mom's grave. I  
won't leave."

I stepped away from Kit and sat on the couch.

"Me neither. I want to go back to school and I don't want to do it in Georgia."

Derek and Simon were quite, obviously willing to follow their father to the grave.

"I don't want to leave either. I don't have a reason, I just don't want to."

Chloe got off the floor and sat down next to me. She looked a little green so

i gave her the rare honor of holding my hand. She was the closest thing I had to a friend right now and the day wasn't over, I couldn't afford to let her keel over because she didn't like where the conversation was going.

He took a breath before speaking again. "Okay, how about this? It's late, We've all been talking for over an hour. How about Simon and I go get pizza and we can all just eat, sleep, and take a vote in the morning? Everyone okay with that?"

No one said anything, so he grabbed his coat and Simon grabbed his scetchpad and a pencil and they left.

AN: Thanks for reading guys, and happy holidays! And don't forget to review! I love reviews!

Fletcher


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